Groundwork Cincinnati/Mill Creek receives $80,000 grant

Groundwork Cincinnati/Mill Creek recently received an $80,000 grant from Interact for Health. The grant is to help support the fourth phase of the city’s Mill Creek Greenway Trail, which is a three-quarter-of-a-mile stretch of trail that will connect South Cumminsville and Millvale to Beekman Avenue.
 
The grant, coupled with a $30,000 grant from the Greater Cincinnati Foundation, will help Groundwork Cincinnati/Mill Creek leverage a $245,479 grant from the Clean Ohio Trail Fund, which has been approved by the state. That grant will help support the initial planning for the fifth phase of the trail, which will extend to the Western Hills Viaduct in South Fairmount. Construction of the fifth phase is slated for 2014.
 
In addition to the Mill Creek Greenway Trail, the Healthy People/Healthy River Strategy includes planting edible forest gardens along three miles of river; engaging the public in all facets of Groundwork Cincinnati/Mill Creek’s work and forging cross-sector partnerships; providing year-round environmental education programming for students in collaboration with Cincinnati Public Schools, schools located in the Mill Creek Watershed and the Metropolitan Sewer District; restoring Mill Creek wetlands, streambanks, floodplains and wildlife habitat; and supporting the revitalization of economically distressed and historically underserved Mill Creek neighborhoods by transforming blighted properties and encouraging financial reinvestment in the Mill Creek corridor and the Lower Mill Creek Watershed.
 
To date, three miles of the Mill Creek Greenway Trail have been completed, and funding has been secured for three other trail projects in the Mill Creek Watershed. When complete, the Mill Creek Greenway will extend about 13.5 miles, from just north of the Hamilton County Fairgrounds in Carthage downstream to the Ohio River. From there, the trail will connect to the Ohio River Trail, and will travel along the western and eastern riverfronts.
 
By Caitlin Koenig
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